Intrusive Parenting

17

"LET IT GO! LET IT GO! CAN'T HOLD IT BACK ANY MORE!" Remus screamed at the top of his lungs before throwing himself down the slide landing with a thud right in front of a snake trying very hard not to laugh. "Come on Dee... Do you want to build a sandman?" He could hear the slight chuckle from the kid and he smiled. "Or how about we storm the castle? FOR NARNIA!"

"Yes, Lets totally do that, Ray." Remus just laughed as he ruffled the boy's hair letting him run off and play on the jungle gym.

"You have fun, Dee. Let off some of that energy." Remus smiled sitting down on the bench as he watched the boy run around. They needed to figure out what happened. It had to have been that orb thing but what was it? 'You really are stupid. Ask Roman... Unless you're afraid.' He was not afraid. At least, he didn't think he was. Sure Roman always seems to target him but its not his fault. Remus was the unstable one. Remus has hurt Roman more times than the man ever targeted him. It made sense the other wouldn't like him. 'He hates you, Remus. There is a difference.' It doesn't matter. Remus understood that. Roman was the good one anyway. Why should it matter is Remus was liked?

"Remus, I wanted to ask you about..."

"Did you know that are certain antidepressants can make it so that you don't feel love." Logan narrowed his eyes as Remus seemed to snap out of his thoughts shaking his head with a frown. "Darn it, I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"Are you alright, Remus?" The man just laughed as Logan's concern grew.

"Define alright."

"Satisfactory but not especially good; acceptable." Remus only laughed as he watched Deceit slide down the slide yelling out as Remus had. "However, I'm asking more in a sense of your emotional and or mental state."

"I know, Logan. I was making a joke."

"Oh..." Logan just sat there awkwardly as Remus made no effort to talk. He had intended on bringing up Cartoon Therapy and in turn Remus's role in it, but something was bothering Logan. Remus didn't seem as... energetic as he usually was. He decided it best that he press on then since Remus would not. "Why didn't you come to get us when you first found Deceit as a child?" Remus tensed up never glancing away from Dee as he ran around the park.

"I thought about it." Remus's voice was soft so Logan had to strain to hear it. "I was afraid you would take him away from me."

"Why?" Remus just shot Logan this look making the logical one somehow feel dumb for not knowing.

"I'm not stable enough to be within 100ft of a child let along be responsible for its life and well being." Logan's eyes darkened as Remus chuckled slightly to himself. "That is what Roman said wasn't it?"

"Well, yes but..."

"No one in their right mind would ever let me care for a child... Roman said that too. You are literally Logic. Patton is morality... right and wrong... Can you honestly say my fear was unwarranted?" Logan sighed looking away as he shook his head. Remus just smiled softly as Deceit waved over from the top of a tower. "I was scared you would take him away and I couldn't let that happen. I can't be apart of Dee. I-I just... I can't away from him for too long." Logan tensed up as he glanced over again to see Remus shaking slightly, the man's eyes never leaving Deceit as if scared something would happen the moment he looked away. "Nothing good happens when I am."

"Please elaborate." Remus pierced his lips in thought before frowning. 

"There were moments when Dee had to go with Roman to do some sort of acting thing... Before Deceit learned how to influence Thomas without being there. When he left things would... well they would start out fine. I'd hang with Virge and everything would be ok but... as time went on I'd..." Remus paused for a moment his eyes flashing a dim green before fading back to brown. "Things would start... I don't know. It was like my 'thoughts' just kept getting worse. Deceit's my rock. He keeps me grounded. Without him, any mental stability I have slowly... goes away."

"How bad has it..." 

"Bad enough I've blacked out once." Logan could feel his blood grow cold as Remus finally looked over at him with this broken look. "Bad enough I apparently scared Virgil into leaving us... I don't even know what I did. He refused to tell me." He laughed a bit as he shook himself from his thoughts smiling at Logan and trying to lighten the mood. "It doesn't really matter much anymore. You all have proven you won't take him away from me. I don't have to be scared of that. I just have to work on o-other things. Speaking of other things..." Remus grinned like he was just given the worlds biggest sundae. "Cartoon therapy seems to be hitting it off. I wouldn't be surprised at all if that Emile really does become a side."

"Yes, thank you for bringing that up because I was wanting to converse with you about it." Remus gave him this confused look as Logan pushed his glasses up. "Why is that you decided to create such an idea?"

"I didn't." Logan frowned glaring over at the smiley side who just shook his head. "Only creativity can give Thomas ideas." Logan narrowed his eyes in confusion as Remus's eyes fell flashing green again as he looked away. "Last I checked I was intrusive thoughts."

"Remus you are..." Remus didn't even let him finish.

"The embodiment of 'bad imagination'. Which is primarily experienced via intrusive thoughts." Logan couldn't help but cringe as his own words were used against him. "Someone as... intrusive as myself couldn't possibly come up with something as... moral as Picani."

"But you did..." Remus didn't even bother responding this time. "Remus do you really not even consider yourself as Creativity anymore?"

"Why does it matter how I see myself? You all have made it quite clear what and who I am. None of you have even once tried to see me as me." Remus looked back at Logan making eye contact. Logan could see the pain clear as day in the pools of dark basil green. "I couldn't even get my own twin to calm down enough to 'see' me for once. Yet Virgil runs over and it's 'protect the smol anxious storm cloud'. All I've ever truly had was Deceit. He was the only one that took the time to get to know me. When it comes to you light sides... You already have a creativity. And as Thomas has said before, why would he even need two. Roman should just take it all."

"Remus that's not how it..." Remus jumped up looking around growing slightly more anxious and making Logan go silent. "Remus, what is wrong?"

"Where's Deceit?"